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MILITANTS KILL REPORTER'S FAMILY

10 April 2007

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The family of a reporter who helped fellow journalists visit the site of a fresh conflict between local tribesmen and foreign militants was massacred in their home, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF).

Urdu-language "Inkishaf" reporter Din Muhammed had accompanied a group of visiting journalists to Wana, the main town in South Waziristan tribal agency along the Afghan border, on 25 March to meet with local tribal militant commanders and visit areas captured from Uzbek fighters, suspected to have links with al-Qaeda.

The Uzbek militants retaliated by attacking Muhammed's house on 1 April, and killing his brother, father and cousin in a gunfight. Muhammed's uncle was murdered in a public execution. Three other family members were also abducted, but Muhammed was not among them and is believed to be safe. Muhammed's editor, Syed Fayyaz Hussain Bokhari, told Reuters he was certain Muhammed and his family were attacked because of his work, especially his articles about the foreign militants.

Few journalists from outside the area have dared to travel to the remote area to report on the latest clashes between local Waziri tribesmen and Uzbek militants, who took refuge in Pakistan's tribal areas after U.S.-led forces ousted the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2001. Since early March, officials say that 250 people have died in the fighting.

"We were advised not to go to Wana. It is the most dangerous place," said Mushtaq Yusufzai, a reporter for the English-language daily "The News" and a cameraman for U.S. broadcaster NBC News, who was part of the group. "Muhammed assured us that we would be safe. But we were afraid that he would feel the consequences for doing his job."

A 2007 International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) investigation reveals reporting in Pakistan to be "more dangerous than ever." Nineteen journalists were murdered in Pakistan since 2000 and only in one case was the murderer brought to justice.

The Cyber Harassment Helpline was launched after the successful completion of the Hamara Internet (translates as “Our Internet”) project, and based on its findings in the “Measuring Pakistani Women's Experience of Online Violence” report

Pakistan has been slow to recognize that violence, threats and harassment faced online by journalists reflects the violence they are exposed to offline. A nationwide survey of working journalists was conducted to ascertain their level of digital insecurity, to record their experiences and the protections they desired from the journalist community, their media organizations, and the government.

Internet Landscape of Pakistan is an indigenous effort to regularly monitor and document the ongoing trends and challenges that impact digital and human rights in the country. This is the third edition in the series.

Many journalists increasingly practice self-censorship, fearing retribution from security forces, military intelligence, and militant groups. Media outlets in 2016 remained under pressure to avoid reporting on or criticising human rights violations in counterterrorism operations. The Taliban and other armed groups threatened media outlets and targeted journalists and activists for their work.

Pakistan is among the countries that do not properly investigate and prosecute crimes against media professionals. Because of the near absolute level of impunity, most of the people who attack, injure or even murder media journalists in Pakistan remain free.

The Pakistani government has significantly expanded its communication interception activities. This Privacy International report covers the intelligence services plan to capture all IP-traffic in Pakistan and other initiatives, pointing to gaps in the laws governing surveillance.

This report is a baseline, a rst step for encouraging further advocacy eorts on the issue. We urge both the government and the civil society to take the challenge of addressing privacy rights as a serious and urgent priority towards ensuring the civil liberties of the citizens.

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